Africa Rise And Shine

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, marked seven years since the launch of its Hashtag I Belong Campaign to End Statelessness. The agency has urged that more action is needed to resolve the plight of millions around the world who are still without citizenship. According to UNHCR, statelessness, or the situation of not being recognized as a citizen by any country, is affecting millions of people around the world. And for more on this, Lulu Gaboo spoke to Emmanuelle Mitte, UNHCR Senior Statelessness Officer

At least thirty schools, nine of which are supported by Save the Children, have been damaged in the recent violent protests in South Africa. At least one school is reported to have been burnt to the ground. One of the Save the Children supported schools that has been damaged is for children with disabilities, who are already at a higher risk of losing long-term access to education due to COVID-19. For more on this, Lulu Gaboo spoke to  Steven Miller, CEO of Save the Children in South Africa........ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Zambezi River Authority - a body that manages water on Lake Kariba and the Zambezi river has guaranteed that there would be enough water for power generation this year. Lake Kariba supplies water for electricity generation in Zambia and Zimbabwe and has allocated 12 billion cubic meters for this year. Channel Africa's John Cassim has more from Harare . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

South Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa has brought forward the closure of schools for the winter holidays by a few weeks, as the country battles to curb the rise of new Covid-19 infections. Schools will start closing on Wednesday, and are expected to be all closed by the end of the week. The country, the worst-hit by the pandemic on the African continent is in the grip of a "third wave" of infections, with fears that it could eclipse the previous two waves. For more reaction on the school closure, Lulu Gaboo spoke to Wycliffe Otieno, Chief of Education at the United Children's Fund in South Africa..... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the new adjusted alert level four restrictions on Sunday which includes a ban on the sale of liquor. The ban is the fourth since the 1st case of the CORONA virus was reported in South Africa. For more on this, Lulu Gaboo spoke to Lucky Ntimane, National Convener of the National Liquor Traders Council in South Africa..... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A group of concerned Zimbabwean youth have organized a 100 kilometer walk to raise awareness on anti-rhino poaching efforts in the region. In 1999 more than 2000 rhinos were accounted for near the majestic Victoria Falls, but now only a small population is left owing to poaching. Channel Africa's JOHN CASSIM reports from ZIMBABWE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ethiopia's military has rejected accounts that dozens of civilians were killed in an air raid in the country's embattled Tigray region, saying its forces had only struck rebels. Local residents and medics quoted by multiple news outlets said this week dozens of innocent people were killed in the aerial attack on a busy market in the town of Togoga on Tuesday. The war in the country's North, that began in November 2020 has put some 5 million people in a humanitarian crisis, with the International community continuing to call for a ceasefire. For more on this, our correspondent in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababba, Coletta Wanjohi, spoke to Dina Mufti, Spokesperson of the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The COVID-19 outbreak has had a devastating global effect in almost all sectors, including the publishing industry in Africa. Many African publishers are said to be overdependent on selling printed textbooks to governments, a one-track business model that has had a catastrophic impact on them when COVID-19 closed schools and drove learning online. Now, the Africa Publishing Innovation Fund (APIF) committee, led by the international Publishers Association (IPA) and comprising veteran publishers from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tunisia, and South Africa, believes cultivating reading for fun in Africa - especially among children and young adults - stands to bring the continent wide socioeconomic advancements to the industry in the long term. More from Brian Wafawarowa, a member of the APIF committee… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

South Africa's Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment affairs has refused to give authorisation to Turkish powership company- Karpowership, blocking the energy company from providing emergency power to the debilitated South African grid. The application was dismissed on environmental grounds. Karpowership was named as a major winner in a government emergency power tender designed to help ease crippling power cuts. For analysis on this is Professor Mark Swilling, the co-director for Centre for Sustainability Transitions at the Stellenbosch University in South Africa. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Institute of Communicable Diseases last night announced that South Africa recorded 16- thousand - and -78 new COVID-19 cases, with 9 - thousand of those found in the Gauteng province, the country's economic hub. The province's premier, David Makura has said the country cannot afford to shut down the province and are looking at a hybrid lockdown approach. The southern African nation is currently on level 3 lockdown. There's been calls from the medical fraternity to impose stricter restrictions on movement in order to limit the high rate of infection the country is currently experiencing as it faces the third wave. More from Chairperson at the South African Medical Association, Dr Angelique Coetzee See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Journal of the American Medical Association states that using a nasal spray that deactivates the Covid virus in the nose, may not only prevent person-to-person spread of SARS-CoV-2, but may also diminish the severity of the disease in patients by limiting spread and decreasing viral load delivered to the lungs. Researchers have identified two agents: xylitol and grapefruit seed extract, which, when administered in the form of nasal sprays help reduce COVID-19 symptoms in patients. More from Andy Cook, the owner of Exceptional Health, who imports a nasal spray that contains xylitol and grapefruit seed extract. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As South Africa marks Youth Day, the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa, CoRMSA has joined the rest of the country commemorating the 45th anniversary of the 1976 Soweto uprising, the day now known as Youth Day in South Africa. Thifuluffheli Sithumule, Director of CoRMSA explains what Youth Day means for an organization like CoRMSA and why it's important for the organization to join in the celebrations of today.... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As South Africa marks Youth day Wednesday, the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA) has joined the rest of the country commemorating the 45anniversary of the 1976 Soweto uprising, the day now known as Youth Day in South Africa. Thifuluffheli Sithumule, Director of CoRMSA explains what Youth Day means for an organization like CoRMSA and why it's important for the organisation to join in the celebrations of today.... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed the importance of cutting-edge technology in the delivery of healthcare in sharp relief, as institutions and enterprises embrace new systems and models to develop future-proof solutions. Experts say it is inevitable, with an ever-increasing range of innovative products and services, that healthcare will become a digital-first industry. More from Travis Dewing, who is the Netcare Group Chief Information Officer and CEO of Netcare Digital .... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As it commemorates its twentieth anniversary this year, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria says it is using this opportunity to mark what it says is the extraordinary progress made in the fight against the three diseases. Elizabeth Lediga reflects on the history of the Global Fund… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions Federation- COSATU, has warned that employers who force employees to be vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus, will be taken to court. We spoke to labour analyst Andrew Levy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Germany has rejected calls for reparations from Namibians over colonial-era killings that Berlin has recognised as genocide, saying the 1.3 Billion US-Dollar- financial aid it was offering was on a "voluntary basis". German foreign minister Heiko Maas acknowledged that over the years there had been calls for reparations from countries including Greece and Poland over Nazi-era massacres. His comments came after Germany for the first time recognised that it had committed genocide against Namibia's indigenous Herero and Nama people between 1904 and 1908. As part of a deal with Namibian negotiators after six years of talks, Berlin also offered a financial programme of 1.3 billion US -dollars. However, Germany pointedly did not qualify the financial sum as "reparations”. To get some reaction on this, Channel Africa spoke to Israel Kaunatjike, Herero Activist... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world has marked the first rise in child labour in two decades and the coronavirus crisis threatens to push millions more youngsters toward the same fate. This is according to the United Nations' child labour report. In a joint report, the International Labour Organization and the UN Children's agency –UNICEF, say the number in child labour stood at 160 million at the start of 2020, an increase of 8.4 million in four years. The report was published ahead of World Day Against Child Labour on 12th June. For more on the report and some of its key findings, Channel Africa spoke to Michaëlle De Cock, Head of Research and Evaluation Unit at the International Labour Organisation. Let’s take a listen... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zambia's Constitutional Court is expected to deliver judgment today on whether President Edgar Lungu is eligible to contest the August 12 general election. A petition was brought forward by NGOs in the country seeking a nullification of President Lungu's nomination for election as President, as he has already served two terms as the country's president. Earlier, the Court dismissed an application by three foreign-based Zambian lawyers, Professor Chaloka Beyani, Melvin Mbao, and Cephas Lumina, who wanted to join the matter as friends of the court. To find out more on this, Lulu Gaboo spoke to one of the lawyers, Professor Melvin Mbao, Emeritus Professor of Law… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Innovative Pharmaceutical Association of South Africa - IPASA, has committed to a partnership with government in fighting COVID-19. The recent collaboration in this industry has led to better patient outcomes. In recent years, medicines have resulted in significant progress against some of the most complex diseases. These medicines are increasingly attacking not only symptoms, but the root causes of debilitating diseases. Innovation and drug development that typically takes 8-10 years has been achieved in a matter of months, demonstrating what the industry is capable of when operating at its peak and with the support and backing of stakeholders. Chief Operations Officer at IPASA, Bada Pharasi explains... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.